Joel Davis, better known by his DJ handle, DJ Epidemic, is moving to New York to join up with Silver Medallion, whom he officially mans the wheels of steel for. Epidemic isn't planning on leaving Phoenix without a party first; he'll be guest DJing at Sticky Fingers at Bar Smith, Friday, June 24, with the resident DJs there and TheGentlemen Ether.

He's understandably excited about the prospect of taking the Big Apple by storm, but he also has some less than kind words for the DJ scene there.

"New York DJs are terrible," he says with a laugh over the phone on a sunny Saturday, speaking with Up on the Sun before heading to a pool party. "Arizona is like a DJ battleground; there's not a lot of business out here, but there are a lot of really awesome dudes, and you really have to be the best you can be to survive out here. It's the complete opposite out there."

DJE: I actually don't have any residencies. I still DJ professionally, full time. I do private parties, and weddings, and stuff I've been in teams. I have a pretty good network to be able to [play] Scottsdale, Tempe, Phoenix. I DJ every weekend, but no residencies.

UOTS: The Sticky Fingers party is your last official gig before you take off?

DJE: Yeah.

UOTS: What genres do you play?

DJE: In my professional DJ life, really, whatever pays. At Sticky Fingers, I'm going to be playing a lot of tropical bass and some funky house music. Lately, I've been playing a lot of what I like to call cerebral house, which is a lot of ethereal, atmospheric house music.

UOTS: What kind of stuff are you into personally? What are some of your favorite styles?

DJE: Right now...although I don't play it, moombahton, because Pickster and Melo and all those dudes, they've gotten in on the ground floor of moombahton and have been involved in the proliferation of it. [I'm into] UK Funky and tropical bass music. Tropical bass is what I've been deeply in love with for the last year.

UOTS: What are some artists that do that?

DJE: Man, so many. For the top people, people like Boriqua ...let me grab my iPod, and get some reference points. Anything on the No Brainer record label, which is run by a dude named Malente; Sound Pellegrino, and does tropical stuff and really deep house, ethereal, cerebral shit. There's a label called Marble Music ...a lot of what I go [for is] based off record labels, not so much specific artists.

DJE: All digital. Two turntables, a mixer, Serrato. I started out as a hip-hop DJ, so I really like a simple, basic, uncomplicated DJ feel. I collect vinyl. I don't play it out ever, but I'm a pretty avid collector of original print '80s LPs and 12 inches.

UOTS: Where do you get your vinyl here in town?

DJE: Stinkweeds. I used to work at Stinkweeds for a while, and they are a really great spot to do that. Revolver has some really great stuff. The occasional Zia gem, there will be like, one, in an entire stack. If not that, eBay.

UOTS: So what's the plan for NYC? What are you looking to do out there?

DJE: Well, Silver Medallion is based out there, the group I DJ for officially. Defintely going to work on more Silver Medallion stuff. They haven't been able to do any live shows, so once I get out there, we'll have a little more of a performance presence, and not just so much of a musical network presence. I'm just going to DJ full-time out there. Luckily, I've been going out there every three or four months, for the past year and a half, so I've built up a decent size network to work off, and I've built up a resume of clubs to kind of launch off of.

UOTS: What are you going to miss most about the Phoenix DJ scene?

DJE: The talent. New York DJs are terrible. There are a ton of DJs and they're terrible, and they don't mix, they all get drunk and are on drugs, and it's a very terrible scene for DJs. It's great if you don't have any talent because you can still make a ton of money, but people who have worked really hard to cultivate their talent is one thing I'll miss.

Not only that, but I'm pretty good friends with DJs out here, and missing their talent. Arizona is like a DJ battleground; there's not a lot of business out here, but there are a lot of really awesome dudes, and you really have to be the best you can be to survive out here. It's the complete opposite out there.

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moombahton,IS NOT A GENRE IS JUST A FUCKIN MASH UP SO DON'T GET IT TWISTED PEOPLE. I WAS DOING THIS BEFORE YOU WHERE BORN. IN THE SCHOOLYARDS AND PLAYGROUNDS AND ROOFTOPS IN N.Y.C. OVER 30 YEARS OF D.J.ING SON. SOO LET'S GET THIS BATTLE SON .

I'M CALLING YOU OUT!!!!! PUT YOUR NEEDLES WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS OR FUCKIN MOUSE... I'M TIRED OF YOU NO TALENT D.J.S DISSING ON N.Y. D.J.S I BET YOU CAN'T MIX VINYL TO SAVE YOUR ASS.. SO I'M GOING TO DO YOU A FAVOR YOU CHOOSE THE BATTLEFIELD AND YOUR CHOICE OF WEAPONS WHETHER IT BE ANALOG OR DIGITAL I'M READY WHEN YOU ARE .OH I FORGOT YOU BETTER BRING SOME DIAPERS CAUSE YOU GONNA SHIT IN YOUR PANTS WHEN YOU HEAR THE FIRST 30 SECONDS OF MY OPENING SET.. D.J. FRANKIE VASQUEZ A.K.A. D.J. FUSION

Hopefully we can get him to play at this years Lake Powell Powellapalooza Music Festival!!! I had such an amazing time last year. The have an eclectic mix of Electronic, Country, Reggae, and Jazz bands; who play right on the shores of Lake Powell or with the Grand Canyon in the background--breathtaking! I can not wait to go back this year. It’s Sept 22-25. Check it out at http://www.powellapalooza.com/

His E-mail and cell phone are on his site along with his insufficient apology. Please join me in asking him to stay where he's at ... no where. DJ all the weddings in the fucking desert you want. We don't need anymore of you here.

Way to let us down. This is not representative of Phoenix or Scottsdale's local DJ's. We have a community based on respect and mutual admiration for our fellow artists and their respective scenes. This is not who Joel is. Just a very bad showing. He does not have any residencies because of this attitude. Sorry man.

As a 25 year veteran of the NYC DJ scene, I have seen this sad ass story played out a million times before. West coast kid with a big ego "visits (NYC) every 3 or 4 months for a year and a half" and thinks he has a handle on what the scene is like here. In a scene that includes over ten thousand venues, hundreds of influential promoters and performers, he thinks he has a grip on this after spending, what, a month tops here? Poor kid. It's crazy that this level of elitism is coming from someone that does "whatever pays". In NYC, he is going to find out real quick that whatever pays is going to mean a lot of dick sucking because his tracks aren't paying the bills.

i don't care if dude is the most skilled dj in arizona or even the world - good luck when you get to nyc with that attitude. why is this even a story lol? some douche moves across the country, thinks he better than everyone - breaking news. i live in nyc and i have never heard of the venues or djs that he mentioned. they must be that clique that thinks they got it over on everyone, while everyone is actually excluding them..... i could go on and on lol....

dude, you're a fukn J O K E!!! while yes, there are bad dj's in NYC, there are bad dj's in EVERY city. some of THE BEST dj's in the world come from & reside in the NYC area. get over your ego & get some real skills cause your gonna get chewed up real quick with that mentality, ass clown.

I feel bad for him. He is obviously a kid that is in on DJing as a business, to make money, and has no interest in the creative and artistic side of what we do. He will soon learn that NYC is already over capacity with kids like him and it takes real passion to make it. Not just your 25 dollar corporation commission documents and a serrato. Haha. He also just learned that running his mouth requires some street cred. Of which, he, and especially Silver Medallion, have none. Silver Medallion attempted to capitalize on the death of one of their members by building an image around his "memory". The fact of the matter is that the day after he died, Silver Medallion used it to step up their marketing game. Wtf?! Poor form. Hopefully Epidemic disconnects himself from that sinking ship to save himself.

For someone that can barely get 15 people to show up at Filthy Phil's on a Friday night and votes for himself thousands of times to try and win the Best Of Phoenix competition every year (and still loses) , this guy sure is more deluded than I thought. I hope he isn't moving to New York with a girlfriend that is counting on him paying bills.

My Name is Djentrification-I work hard Djing and putting together parties here in Phoenix-on behalf of Myself and other cats here in Phoenix-You Dont Speak for Us Epidemic -Much respect to New York-That's the Birthplace of this Art form in the Modern context-Folks Like Grandmaster Flash are still Rocking park jams over that way-and Much more I have no idea about-

this guy is right. i've lived in NY my whole life and the dj scene is ruined. its all socialite garbage and how you market yourself is 10x more important than skill level. glamour shots should not be required to be booked yet its more imortant to have a sleeve of tattoos and pics in urban areas hanging out wearing a skinny tie than a sick mix cd. go on dubset.com and tell me the sets aren't the same skill as someone who has been dj'ing 1 year. pathetic.

As someone who has worked, lived, and partied in NYC, I’ve definitely heard my share of “Terrible” NYC DJ’s. But to classify all them OR even saying anything that could be misconstrued into sounding like all NYC DJ’s are terrible is a straight death sentence for any chance of ever making it. You think this tool would have nothing but positive things to say if he’s jumping from his little wading pool into a sea of DJ’s and nightlife! NYC is saturated with DJ’s who are fighting for elbow room. There are tons of “Vegas Quality” DJ’s and beyond trying to make it. Some of the best DJ's you'll hear anywhere are in small bars and lounge's that only the locals/regular's know about. This tool better get used to 6-7 hour gigs paying $150 bucks in venues with broken turntables, bad sound systems, and that are full of drunken chicks with garlic breath screaming, “LADY GAGAAAAAA” in your ear because, “it’s their birthday and they’re leaving soon.” Then try to ask for more money. They’ll replace him as quick as a NASCAR pit crew can change 4 tires! I hope he enjoy those 5AM train rides back to the closet he calls his “Brooklyn Apartment”. Just don’t fall asleep…

Nobody has ever heard of him in Arizona. Nobody has ever heard of him in NYC....so he must be a NOBODY, change your name to DJ FML or DJ CHUMP-CHANGE because you just slandered your name from the EASTCOAST to the WESTCOAST.

I just listened to this clown's Flossin' mixtape. What a fucking joke. Generic hip hop tracks we've all heard a million times, with absolutely nothing new or conceptually innovative. The mixing is absolute garbage, generally just cold transitions from one track to the next. Many of them are completely out of key or have annoying shifts in tempo that disrupt the whole flow of the mix. Zero turntablism/scratching. It's obvious this guy has minimal experience playing in a club.

It never fails to amaze me how the most arrogant DJ's are the ones who just suck at what the do. He has to harbor some sort of animosity over not getting booked in Arizona. I'd love to see how many weddings he does; something tells me he lacks the people skills to be able to stay afloat in that business as well.

And the classic "the journalist twisted the story to make me look bad". Who wants to bet this jerkoff paid the newspaper off to write a story about him?Oh yeah, let's not forget the "bangers" on Soundcloud. Absolute generic garbage, from the wobble basslines to the overplayed samples used. The tracks are brickwall limited to death and are just painful on my ears to listen to. Everything is a remix or mash-up because he obviously can't come up with his own concepts. He's all over the moombahton bandwagon now, but I'm willing to bet he was trying to ride dubstep's dick hard back in 2007. Remember, he's a fan of "whatever pays". New York DJ's, you have little to worry about here.

I love how he posts an "apology" on his blog, then closes off the comments at the bottom.

What a pussy.

When he starts entering DMC competitions, and touts Kentaro-level beat juggling, then he can spout about his DJ skills. Until then, he can stick to trainwrecking moohmbaton with his Serato (probably auto-beatmatching in internal mode).

Well done, man. Continuing playing birthdays and weddings for the Arizona Diamondbacks roster and staff. I'm gonna go see DJs throw down amazing music to open-minded people. Say hi to Randy Johnson for me bruv

This guy is critical of NYC DJ's, yet he doesn't have his own residency in Arizona that he's built up, and he is a WEDDING DJ? Come on man, this is really an off-putting interview. New York has a wonderful community of DJ's that is second to none, and you have successfully isolated all of them before you step one foot here. And this PYT remix of "his?" Sounds awfully familiar to another DJ named Debonair Samir's version. Unbelievable!